Rubber Gloves

Open it
watch it ooze and leak
burst and puss
infected with some unspeakable thing

Examine it
roll it between pressed fingers
then wipe it on the secret corner of your flesh
with all the other unspeakable things

Cover it
pretend it's not there
and suffer
streaks of pain throb heartbeats
revealing the unspeakable things

Expose it
speak it's unspeakable name
and turn around
pulling off the rubber gloves
that protect you from feeling

Thought Soaked Fingers

taking trips around
my gene pool
finding more things hidden
in each ripple
I listen as my pen stutters
while I lean on things I don't understand

wrist ache scratching out names
and memories
so I just leave them in the sun
to burn
letting the light bleach scarlet off-pink

can't leap
I'm already three feet off the ground
can't wipe away
the face of the rushing river
I'm overwhelmed looking at it's consistency

silence
a ravenous place
where thoughts leave my mind
and soak my fingers
only to return me again
to itself